Free speech

Google Translate goes offline

by CAMILLE CHIN  August 2016

The Google Translate app received a major update in May and can now be used offline — that is, with no data or Wi-Fi connection — on both iOS and Android devices. Travellers can now translate 52 of the app’s 103 languages without having to worry about roaming data charges. Also new: the addition of both simplified and traditional Chinese, which can be translated through the app’s Word Lens feature along with 29 other languages including Arabic, Italian, Spanish and Thai. Users can simply hold their smartphone camera over a word and instantly get a translation. Via the iTunes or Google Play stores.

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